CHEVRONS’ captain, Craig Ervine, was blunt with his team after they suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of South Africa by an innings and 236 runs in the second Test match in Bulawayo.
The huge loss meant the Chevrons lost the series 2-0. They were first skittled out for just 170 runs. After South Africa enforced the follow-on, Zimbabwe were bowled out again for 220.
South Africa had put a mountain of runs on the board, declaring at 625 for 5 in their only innings. Their captain, Wiaan Mulder, played a massive knock, scoring 367 runs. He was supported by David Bedingham (82) and Lhundre Pretorius (78), who both hit good half-centuries.
For Zimbabwe, the only real bright spots with the bat were Sean Williams, who scored a fighting 83 not out in the first innings, and Nick Welch, who made 55 in the second.
Captain Ervine was frustrated that his team didn’t learn from their loss in the first Test.
“There were a lot of positives we took out of the first Test, hoping to rectify our mistakes, but the second Test didn’t go as planned. A lot of work needs to be done,” he said.
Ervine pointed to issues with the top order and players not taking their chances.
“It’s not easy for the group when you lose your premier opener in Brian Bennett. Prince (Masvaure) went down with a flu, and (Dion) Myers unfortunately didn’t take his chance,” Ervine explained. “Guys definitely got an opportunity, including myself. Sean Williams scored big in the first Test, and if you have to do well, you need big hundreds. He is an important part of the batting line-up; the way he moves the game and scores freely against the spinners – he still has a couple of years in his legs, I hope.”
He said the rest of the team needs to learn from players like Williams and their opponents.
“The youngsters need to learn from him (Williams),” Ervine added. “There are a lot of lessons; the way South African bowlers grouped, we can learn from that. From Mulder, the tempo at which he batted didn’t change too much…we can learn a fair bit. It’s time for us to show it out in the middle. Enough has been said; it’s time to put it into action.”
In the other camp, South Africa’s captain was thrilled with the result.
“Super special. It’s something I dreamt of as a kid. To captain the country is one of the biggest honours you can get as a cricketer,” Mulder said. “A lot of guys put up their hand…everyone contributed in their own ways, and that’s good to see for South African cricket.”
Next, action turns to the T20 format. A Tri-Nations series featuring hosts Zimbabwe, South Africa, and New Zealand is scheduled for Harare from July 14 to 26.
